Teacher Honored Again

Second Award For Reading Specialist This Academic Year

WETHERSFIELD — The International Reading Association has named town resident Gloria McLean an annual award winner, her second honor this academic year for her work as a reading specialist.

The Delaware-based International Reading Association awarded McLean the Eleanor M. Johnson Award, which each year recognizes an elementary school teacher for reading or language arts. In May, McLean, who teaches at Meriden's John Barry School, will receive a $1,000 prize provided by a grant from Weekly Reader, a publication for schoolchildren.

Less than six months ago, McLean was named Connecticut Reading Specialist of the Year by the Connecticut Reading Association. One of the state organization's officials initiated McLean's nomination for the international award after she received the statewide honor.

``It's pretty astounding -- awesome, as my kids would say. It's humbling,'' McLean said. She said the awards actually honor the efforts of all reading teachers, particularly those in the Meriden district.

``We all want to make our students literate and keep them literate. We work very hard,'' McLean said.

McLean has lived in Wethersfield for 30 years with her husband, George, and three children. She started teaching in Meriden in 1962 and has been active in the Wethersfield schools and community.

She was a branch director for the Wethersfield-Rocky Hill YWCA for seven years and ran the organization's preschool programs. She is still active in the Democratic town committee, serving on the screening committee and organizing state Sen. Billy Ciotto's local campaign for re-election.

McLean said she looks forward to early May, when she will attend the International Reading Association's conference in Orlando, Fla. Not only will she receive her award, she also will have a chance to share ideas about reading education with some of the world's pre-eminent specialists.

``I've studied, studied on literacy and how to teach children. Now I get a chance to meet these people, the ones who write the books I read and who inspired me,'' she said.

McLean is the second educator with a tie to Wethersfield to be recognized twice this year. Hanmer School teacher Kathleen St. Onge, who lives in South Windsor, received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching and Wethersfield's Teacher of the Year award.